>In times like these I go to a mirror site, like: ftp.cac.psu.edu

The historic problem with supposed "mirror" sites is that you can't
depend upon them actually being up to date (I've encountered this too
many times), and they may not have all the data (as in some of the
ADSM mirror sites lacking a devdrvr directory).  This is why we've
been imploring IBM to make their authoritative site more responsive.
And having mirror sites it just propagating a problem which needs to
be fixed at its cause, as explained below...

One sure way to make the storsys site more responsive is to finally
address the patently ridiculous current approach to update provisioning
which piles *everything* regarding a client or server into a single,
huge "fix" file.  This makes for prolonged downloads, which results in
protracted sessions which tie up the FTP resources, as is the subject
of current complaints about inability to get into the site.  When I first
saw how fix provisioning was occurring I was appalled, because of the
manifest problems.  I'm more appalled that more than a year later nothing
has been done to address this obvious impediment to customer satisfaction.

IBM management: Let's address this problem.  Begin by having your software
providers compress the fix files to greatly reduce their size, either by
a standard command ('compress' or 'gzip -9'), or by using a self-extracting
archive technique.  Then have your packagers design a rational, component-
based packaging technique such that customers can retrieve what they need,
particularly on the client side.  (For example, few customers need the HSM
client, and yet it is bundled into the composite client package, making for
that much wasted download time.)  And if there is a PTF, formulate it as a
"patch" of some kind, as is the practice in so many other IBM software
products, particularly operating systems.  Downloading a patch will take
just seconds, enabling customers to go into the FTP site, quickly get what
they want, get out, and get their enterprises fixed that much faster.

The current approach to providing ADSM updates is ridiculous, and cries out
for reorganization.  Let's do it, IBM.  It's been bad too long, and the file
sizes are only getting larger.

     Richard Sims   Boston University OIT